Few merchandise spots at Disney California Adventure Park see more foot traffic than Elias & Co. Named after Walt Disney’s father, Elias, the flagship store sits along Buena Vista Street, the park’s tribute to 1920s Los Angeles, and is designed to evoke an old-fashioned department store. As the park’s largest shop, its aisles can become a squeeze at peak times.
That space became the backdrop for a viral confrontation. According to a guest who filmed it, the trouble began when a 14-year-old girl with autism accidentally bumped into another shopper. Instead of a quick apology, several adults got involved, multiple cast members intervened, and the teenager was left crying.
One Guest’s View
The videos come from TikTok user Devan Jean (@walkindevansears). The opening clip shows a black-haired woman restraining her husband as he argues with fellow guests, before the scene escalates. The woman, who earlier shouted that this was because of “[her] daughter” while pointing at another guest, walks over to a different person in line and appears to shove her. At least one cast member and other guests separate the two.
Devan Jean described the lead-up:
“The lady with the black hair holding her husband back at the beginning started all of this. She got upset because a 14 year old Autistic girl bumped into her a couple times. She made a comment about her being a little B word to the mother of the autistic child because she believed she should know how to control herself and not bump into people.
When the mother explained she was 14 and autistic that set the lady off even more because she believed that because she was 14 she is capable of being aware of her surroundings.. as the mother kept defending her daughter the lady with the black hair decided to start an altercation which her husband decided to join in on. He approached at least 3 different innocent bystandards through this event. She kept pointing fingers and blaming the mom and daughter to justify their actions to security and the cast members. I actually felt so bad for the young girl.
I approached her to make sure she was okay as she was crying upset because she didn’t know what this lady was going to do to her mom. Disability or not it’s not that hard to be a decent human and just walk away when you’re annoyed. I get it, Disney crowds are hard to manage if you’re not used to it but that does not make it okay to cause a scene in front of children and other guests. I did hear some comments about alcohol being a factor in the couples reaction but that doesn’t make it okay. That’s when it’s time for an escort out the gate.”
Alcohol involvement is unconfirmed, yet many of the 237,000-plus viewers urged Disney to cut back on in-park alcohol sales, while others quipped that higher prices might “keep the riff raff out.”
Not an Isolated Case
Similar headlines have piled up lately, from heated words in the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind line at EPCOT and repeated trouble on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, to a group fight before Mickey and the Magician at Disneyland Paris and a holiday-season altercation in the Radiator Springs Racers queue last year.
Accidental bumps happen on busy days. When a disagreement heats up, walk away and flag a cast member. Disneyland Resort’s park rules allow disruptive guests to be removed.
Have you seen a guest cross the line at a Disney park? Tell us in the comments.
